OpenSecrets PolitiQuizz: Wal-Mart Taps Revolving Door

Last week, Wal-Mart became the latest in a string of major corporations to sever ties with ALEC, a conservative-leaning organization that brings national corporations and state lawmakers together to design pro-business economic legislation. But recently the group has turned its attention to social issues, backing controversial voter ID and “stand your ground” laws at the state level. That recent push has brought the ire of left-leaning social groups, who oppose such legislative efforts and have taken on aggressive campaigns to tie corporations involved in ALEC to the Council’s right-leaning politics.

But even if it has severed ties with ALEC, Wal-Mart has embraced a very political strategy in Washington, D.C., spending millions of dollars each year lobbying Congress and contributing to political campaigns, to the benefit, largely, of Republicans.

Traditionally, employees and political action committees affiliated with Wal-Mart have donated heavily to Republicans, according to Center for Responsive Politics research — as much as 93 percent of their donations went to the GOP in 1996. And over the past four years, Wal-Mart has also spent between $6 million and $8 million annually on lobbying, often utilizing the revolving door and hiring former members of Congress from both parties to use their Capitol Hill influence to sway current legislators.

This year, two of Wal-Mart’s 64 lobbyists are refugees from electoral politics. Which brings us to this week’s question:

Which two former Republican lawmakers are on Wal-Mart’s lobbying payroll this year?

The first person to give us the correct answer in the comments section of this blog entry will be awarded a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition, the money-in-politics book for which the Center for Responsive Politics provided data and analysis.

As always, the answer can be found somewhere in the annals of OpenSecrets.org.

Now to settle last week’s question. We asked:

Which funeral services company is both six feet under and six figures deep in 2012 outside spending? And which pro-Rick Perry super PAC was the recipient of the $100,000 donation?

The answer: Service Corporation International was the funeral services company that provided the $100,000 donation to Make Us Great Again, the main pro-Perry super PAC.

Congratulations to the winner, “suzzanegrubb”, who was the first to provide the correct company and super PAC. Please email us at [email protected] so we can send you the spoils.

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